CHRISTIAN MISTRESS POSSESSION reviews

Specialists/collaborators reviews

"Possession" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US heavy metal act Christian Mistress. The album was released through Relapse Records in February 2012. It´s yet another example of Relapse Records expanding their roster with a band that is not extreme metal.

The band play a traditional heavy metal/NWoBHM style that sounds very much like acts in that style sounded in the late seventies/early nineties. Christian Mistress differentiate themselves from most other acts in that genre though as they have a female vocalist. Not of the angelic kind but rather of a more raw sounding kind. Christine Davis is at times a really convincing vocalist but there are times I could have wished for a bit more bite. Thankfully the instrumental part of the music is high class traditional heavy metal/NWoBHM with heavy rocking rythms and twin lead guitar work to die for, so a vocalist that sometimes lacks slightly in the attitude department isn´t going to ruin my day. The sound production has a vintage organic quality to it which suits the music very well and it´s another contributing factor to how enjoyable "Possession" is. Most of the material is uptempo and energetic but the title track, which is a cover of the Swedish doom metal act Faith, is slightly darker and takes the tempo down a bit too. It´s one of the standout tracks on the album and it´s different nature is great for the variation.

All in all "Possession" is a really enjoyable listen if you´re into retro sounding heavy metal and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Metal has expanded in quite a few different directions since the seventies', but bands like Christian Mistress keep the original spirit of the genre alive over a decade into the new millennium. This five-piece act from Washington takes plenty of hints from NWoBHM, stoner rock, doom metal, and classic hard rock into a sound that could've easily passed as something nearly forty years old. Possession is their second full-length album, and it is bound to satisfy most folks' itch for doomy classic metal. Although the musical approach that Christian Mistress takes is decidedly regressive, this is not a bad purchase for traditional heavy metal and hard rock fans.

Christian Mistress has received quite a bit of praise for their frontwoman's vocals, but for some reason Christine Davis' raspy singing style just comes across as flat and powerless to these ears - I'm just not feeling the aggressive and powerful vocals that I crave in a traditional metal album. Luckily, the guitar department more than compensates for the vocal shortcomings, and both axemen dish out plenty of rockin' riffs and killer lead solos. I wouldn't say that any of the songs here are particularly excellent, but Possession is still a fun listen when all is said and done.

Although most of this album is pedal-to-the-medal heavy rock, Christian Mistress also shows their ability to write more diverse pieces of music with the acoustic-influenced "There Is Nowhere", which also sports a killer Iron Maiden-like section towards the middle. All in all, this is a very respectable effort, even if I'm not won over by every aspect of the release. Fans of retro heavy rock are bound to enjoy Possession quite a bit, so I'd say 3 stars is a pretty fair score. Christian Mistress may not be the most inventive metal act out there, but they do what they do pretty well.